Trainee ninjas are required to hone their skills ready to do battle against ancient threats and foes such as The Great Devourer – a giant serpent ready to attack those who dare to challenge it.

Having opened first at several Legoland parks in 2016, Legoland Windsor’s version of Lego Ninjago: The Ride opened in 2017. It is an interactive dark ride, featuring 4D effects and motion sensor technology. The theme is based around characters from the Lego Ninjago themed sets and the Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu TV series.

Those who have ever played Nintendo Wii or Xbox Kinect will be familiar with the basic concept – waving your hands in the air in front of you causes various virtual fire balls, ice, lightning and shockwaves to be thrown out and take down the 3D animated characters on large screens. The technology itself is from Canadian firm Triotech who calls their interaction product “Maestro”.

It seems to be one of those experiences that is immediately understandable to kids who start racking up points as soon as the ride leaves the station, while confused adults with wildly flailing arms end up with embarrassingly low scores. Apparently the sweet spot for detecting gestures is around 8 inches above the lap bar.